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From October 24, 1632 - August 26, 1723 he was a tradesman
Antoni was a tradesman and scientist from Delft, in the Netherlands. -
Birth Date
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek was born in Delft, Holland. -
Growing Up
Antoni moved away from Delft to get an appreticeship as a linen draper. -
Moving Back In
Antoni moved back to Delft and started a drapery buisness. -
Marriage
Antoni married Barbara de Mey when he was 21 and she was 24. -
Kids
Antoni had three sons and two daughters but, Marie is the only child that lived. She was born in 1656. The rest all died in infancy. -
The Letter
Antoni sent a letter to the English Royal Society explaining what you can see while looking through a microscope. -
Loss Of Wife
Antoni's wife (Barbara de Mey) died in 1666 leaving him alone after 12 years of marriage. -
Second Marriage
Antoni married Cornelia Swalmius in 1671. She is a relative of Barbara's. -
Bee Explanation
Antoni wrote notes about bee's and they were so interesting that they were published in the Philosophical Transactions Of The Royal Society. These notes included a description of fungal spores, a common louse (head and body of an insect), and the stinger, mouth, and eye of a bee. -
Small But Fascinating Discovery
Antoni took samples of lake water that were murky and had green clouds.He then dicovered all of the tiny creatures that lived in dirty water. -
Leeuwenhoek's Most Famous Communication Transpired
Antoni started looking for small living creatures because of his discovery in 1674 which made him wonder if these creatures were in well and clean water. After 2 years, Antoni claimed that he saw tiny living "animalcules" swimming in rain water. He estimated that 1,000 of these tiny creatures could fit on the end of a pen. -
Royal Society Election
The English Royal Society elected him to a membership because of his 400 letters explaining different discoveries. -
Tadpole Discovery
Antoni turned his microscopes on the tail of a tadpole and saw the tiny capillaries connecting the veins and the arteries. -
The End Of The Story
Antoni died on August 30, 1732. He was 91 years old!